HC Deb 20 January 1992 vol 202 cc10-1
11. Mr. Win Griffiths

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales how many men and women, full and part-time, were in employment in Wales and Mid-Glamorgan in (a) June 1979, (b) June 1987 and (c) the latest date for which figures are available.

Mr. David Hunt

The figures on the basis requested by the hon. Gentleman are not available for Mid-Glamorgan or for part-time male employees, but for Wales, taking September 1991 as the date for which the latest figures are available, there were respectively 618,000, 498,000 and 501,000 male employees in employment. For the same dates, there were 250,000, 225,000 and 246,000 female employees in full-time employment and 165,000, 184,000 and 213,000 in part-time employment.

Mr. Griffiths

Does not the Secretary of State feel any remorse about those figures? They show that male employment has gone down massively, that there are some additional jobs for female workers—full and part-time—but that the overall picture is one of deficit, despite the record investment based on the quality of the Welsh work force. Is the right hon. Gentleman prepared to say whether he thinks that before the next election these figures will improve, or will they get even worse?

Mr. Hunt

I regret that the seasonally adjusted figure went up by 700 to 121,600 last month, but I remind the hon. Gentleman that in January 1986, the figure was over 170,000. Since 1986 there has been a remarkable reduction, especially in the figure for the long-term unemployed. In January 1986, that figure was 78,014. It has now fallen 60 per cent. to 31,207, but, of course, there is still work to be done. However, I hope that the hon. Gentleman will recognise that earlier today I announced record inward investment figures for Wales, and we have every right to be proud of those figures.

Mr. Wigley

Does the Secretary of State notice that 12 months ago every vacant job in Wales was chased by nine unemployed people but that by last month 13 unemployed people were chasing each vacancy? Over the same period, small countries such as the Netherlands and Portugal and, indeed, larger countries such as West Germany and Japan, had a reduction in unemployment, so it is not merely a worldwide factor. Will he accept responsibility for the reduction in job opportunities in Wales and for the increase in unemployment? What is he going to do about it?

Mr. Hunt

I was pleased about the lower rate of increase last month and I very much hope that that will be the trend. Of course, there are problems, but we are far better able to negotiate those problems than we were. I believe that Wales is much better placed to ride out the worldwide recession than it has been and I can give the hon. Gentleman this pledge: I and my ministerial colleagues will continue to do everything that we can to attract investment to Wales. We have had remarkably good figures over the past year and we are determined to beat them in 1992.

Mr. Barry Jones

Has the right hon. Gentleman overlooked the job losses at Port Talbot steelworks—a great steelworks under immense pressure because of the recession engendered by his Government—and the continuing loss of jobs in the south Wales coalfields? Should not the right hon. Gentleman now apologise for the false promises that he made in 1991? Does he accept that his comment that the Welsh economy was extremely healthy smacks of the complacency of the do-nothing Government of which he is a member? His Government's record on the Welsh economy will lead to the loss of the seats of his two ministerial colleagues.

Mr. Hunt

The hon. Gentleman's cracked record does not seem to recognise that we are now in the age of disks. I am afraid that the Labour party is still in the 1960s and 1970s. I very much hope that we shall never see a return to those bad old days.

In 1979, the steel industry in Wales employed 42,000 people. Today, 18,000 people are employed producing 10 per cent. more steel. Those figures show the transformation in the Welsh economy and we are determined to see that continue. The last thing that we want is a return to the spend, spend, spend—tax, tax, tax policies of the Labour party.